Yanis Sahraoui

They debuted in the late 2000s under the stage name Sliimy (pronounced "Slimmy") through social networking websites where they released their songs. The artist soon received attention online and signed into recording label Warner Music Group, releasing the single Wake Up and their debut album Paint Your Face in 2009, which reached number 2 in the French charts. The singer then performed on stage, in concerts and in opening acts for Britney Spears and Katy Perry.

The artist, singing mostly in English with an accent that has been described as "mockney", with androgynous looks and a falsetto voice, was compared to Mika or Prince by the press. They were sometimes also dubbed "the French Mika" in their native France and internationally.

In 2015, the singer began performing as Yanis, and released the EP L'heure Bleue in 2016.

Yanis Sahraoui was born on 16 September 1988 in Saint-Étienne, Loire. Of Moroccan and Algerian descent, Yanis grew up in the neighborhood of Vivaraize, along with their three sisters and brother. Yanis studied at high school before going to the university of Notre-Dame Valbernoîte.

"I participated in choir at school. Otherwise, I would sing by myself! In 2005, I won a contest and then suddenly I recorded my first song. What's funny is that I put the video on my blog, but people wouldn't believe it was me." – Yanis

In 2005, Yanis won a singing contest at Pax in Saint-Etienne, and won a record in a studio where Yanis met Etienne Feed, who became their partner and guitarist.

In their late teens, Yanis began using the online alias "Sliimy": from the English word "slim", referring the artist's slender frame and a double I, which according to Yanis, visually represent two thin legs. As Sliimy, the singer used social networking websites such as Myspace where they uploaded recordings of their songs. The artist was met with success online, and with their guitarist they eventually signed into recording label Warner Music Group. The singer received more international attention in late 2008 after their cover of Britney Spears's song Womanizer was featured by American blogger Perez Hilton.

Sliimy's debut album Paint Your Face was recorded at the artist's home studio in Saint-Étienne in January 2009. In February 2009, Yanis was part of the coming-nexts du Grand Journal in Canal+. Their first single was titled Wake Up and made available on legal music download platforms. Paint Your Face was mixed at Trout Recording Studio in New York in March by Bryce Goggin, who has worked with Antony and the Johnsons and Pavement. It was released on 6 April 2009 by Warner.

As "Sliimy", they opened for Britney Spears's Circus Tour in Paris-Bercy in France in July 2009.

In addition to having been the first part of Britney Spears's tour, Sliimy also went on tour with singer Katy Perry for the Hello Katy Tour in Switzerland and England in 2009. A few months later, the artist made a surprising appearance in the music video for the hit song I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas in the album The END. ...

Source: Article "Yanis (singer)" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.